They called us monsters part 12

Chapter 12: The band of blood

Yaju ducked to the side once more, avoiding a long spear with ease. A chuckle was heard from Russ, as he thrust the weapon against him once more. The hunter was more than glad for his lightened equipment that kept him agile against such attacks. The red head male was very capable with the spear during sparring, but Yaju doubted his abilities in an actual battlefield, at least until he got to witness them first hand. His first morning in the capital and the hunter had been asked in a sparring session by one of Krista’s brothers. The hunter had no interest to fight anyone from the so called band of blood, but Krista pointed out that if he wanted to be part of it and fight against the demons in the capital, he had to abide by the rules and practice with the rest of the team.

‘’Enough Russ, you aint hitting him any time soon.’’, Krista yelled from the side of the back yard of the main building the organization kept. They had a second location as well, near the sewers, used as an escape route in case of an emergency. Only a few of the members knew about it though. The slender fighter pressed his lips together in annoyance and stopped attacking. Yaju exhaled and straightened up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He glared at Krista and received a pout from her. She seemed to be in her natural habitat around her family and other members of the band.

‘’Let’s go, Yaju. I need to show you around town eventually.’’, she commented and motioned her hand so that he followed her.

The two hunters spent the rest of the day walking around town, Krista showing the new member of the band the usual locations they could easily do their business and locations people knew who they were. It was merely his first day in the capital, but the hunter already felt itchy, wanting to kill demons.

‘’Ah Miriam!’’, Krista exclaimed as soon as they entered one of the clinics. Yaju looked like a sore thumb next to the constantly smiling redhead, as he towered beside her, his thick beard and muscular frame that even clothes couldn’t hide, making him stand out. Folks were probably wondering why he wasn’t in a guards armor. The lady behind the counter glanced at the male with an unreadable, mildly surprised expression and then proceeded to focus her brown eyes on the young female and mimic her smiling expression.

‘’My dear, I haven’t seen you in a while.’’, the elder one commented. Her grey hair had been braided firmly to the side of round face. The hunter couldn’t help but wonder why they were visiting a doctor.

‘’I was recruiting, but ended up bringing just this one with me.’’ Krista’s voice lowered tremendously as she approached the bench. A client had just opened the backroom’s door and exited, forcing the elder woman to shift her attention to him. The middle aged man, who paced while limping gave the woman a few silver coins and took his leave. ‘’We have to see the doctor.’’, Krista pressed on and lifted both her brows. The elder female pursed her lips and her eyes travelled around the waiting room, probably counting the customers.

‘’Just be quick.’’ She mumbled, while refusing to look at the hunters. Krista gave Yaju a smirk and tilted her head towards the door beside the counter. The male followed, wondering why there was a need to see the actual doctor at that point. It was obvious that it was the place the band of blood could trust to be patched up in case they get hurt, or if they want some medical equipment.

Behind the door was nothing but a casual doctor’s office, a bed to the side, a tall bench, medical equipment, an office and bookcase with binders. The female had her back turned to the door, a white robe draped over her slender form, her black hair tied up in a tight bun. She turned around, blue eyes focusing immediately on the tall male, before they dropped down to meet the redhead with an indifferent expression.

‘’Doctor Maha. This man here is a new recruit.’’, she spoke carefully and the hunter could sense her hesitation and struggle to remain serious. The doctor seemed to be younger than the lady in the waiting room, but older that Krista. Yaju felt exasperation built up, but he had to remind himself that he had accepted to be dragged around and introduced to all the allies of the band.

‘’You return after all this time with just one person?’’, the doctor’s comment seemed to have hit Krista like and arrow in the stomach, for she wore a frown and proceeded to push Yaju ahead, taking him by surprise. The male felt offended but went with it, trying to keep a straight face.

‘’This guy is a half man. I saw him eat demons with my own eyes!’’, she exclaimed and the hunter felt the blood drain from his face.

‘’Hey… what are you saying to her?’’, he grunted, his fist balled up, frustration clearly showing on his face. As he went to turn to the redhead and give her a piece of his mind, already fed up with the situation he had been forced in, his eyes were caught by the doctor who stood from her seat, a smile slowly creeping up on her face with every step she took. Her lips pulled back, showing white teeth, wrinkles forming around her mouth and her eyes widened. Yaju couldn’t help but note that this doctor looked completely crazy.

‘’I had no idea that was possible…’’, she mumbled and her hands suddenly cupped both the man’s cheeks, patting down his thick beard. He wore a disgusted expression and took a step back, releasing himself. The female didn’t seem to mind.

‘’He looks like a great specimen, tall, sturdy. Can handle a lot probably…’’, the doctor kept talking to herself, while her blue eyes travelled all over the male’s body, hungrily. Yaju was disturbed greatly and turned to Krista with a cocked brow, expecting her to take responsibility for the crazy woman she introduced him to. The redhead gave him a hesitant, apologetic smile and approached them.

‘’I did not bring this man here for you to use him, so don’t get excited. He is still my partner.’’, she commented and Yaju felt his heart bounce in his chest, wondering what the hell was the young woman talking about. The doctor, fascinated by her words, focused on her and widened her eyes. Krista flinched in shock, immediately realizing that her words could be interpreted in various ways, a shade of pink coloring her cheeks.

‘’Partner in battle, Maha, stop looking at me like that. I brought him here and I stand responsible for his missions.’’, she hurriedly added, stumbling with her words. Yaju held back a laughter that crept up in his mouth.

‘’I just wanted to inform you about what I have seen, perhaps we could make use of it in the future.’’, Krista turned serious and so did the doctor. The elder female nodded and approached her office.

‘’I will discuss this further with leader.’’ Where the black-haired female’s words, before she resumed work, ignoring the existence of the two hunters. Krista motioned Yaju to follow her as they exited the room.

The remaining of the day was spent in the streets and the hunter soon look forward to entering the small room they gave him as personal chambers, to shut himself of in quiet and solitude. Crowds and talking with a number of people in the same day made Yaju weary and tired him out, yet the female hunter did not seem to get fazed one bit throughout her constant banter. He stood a few feet beside her as she picked ingredients for her family’s dinner, his eyes traveling from her, to the merchant, to the people walking all around the soon to be closing marketplace.

A shiver run down his spine when his attention focused on a very familiar female figure. He had only seen her once, but she had been etched in his mind forever, especially after the connection made with the lake demon. Between the common folk walked the black-haired female with the obsidian eyes, her pace steady, her gaze focused on a young male who walked beside her, as he spoke a few words. The kid was taller than her, his head was nearly shaven and he had oddly bright blue eyes. His lack of facial expression possibly added years to his young complexion. Yaju’s hand traveled near the hilt of his sword and he tightened his grip around it, noticing how both the demon and the male beside her wore leather armor, the male armed with various weapons, unidentified beneath his cloak. All Yaju could see was a few daggers.

In his mind played all the possible actions he could take. Was he really capable of fighting in this crowd, risking the life of commoners and possibly ending up unable to capture her? He didn’t even know the exact level of her skill and the rumors concerning her activity were not reassuring at all. Plus he was also unaware who the boy beside her was. Then their eyes met and time seemed to freeze.

The female was attractive, very attractive indeed. Her full red lips pulled in a cunning smile, when her realization of the male happened. The boy besides her stopped moving when she did, a frown finally breaking his indifferent expression. His ocean eyes followed her gaze and landed on the hunter as well. Yaju felt the blood pump in his veins, as the possibility of a battle increased his adrenaline. He was worried not for himself, but for the people around him. The hunter would fight even with his teeth if needed, till the last breath escaped his lungs. The woman resumed walking, approaching him this time. The hunter stood his ground, but his eyes glanced around in pure panic. Should he attack? Should he warn Krista who was too busy looking at carrots? His grey eyes stopped darting about and focused on the female’s face, completely taken aback by her cunning smile. Her stance did not show desire to battle, even though Yaju stood as rigid as ever, his knuckles turning white from his tight grip.

‘’Do you know this man, miss Ketsu?’’, the young male spoke, as they both stood a few steps in front of him. The demon’s smirk turned more prominent.

‘’You are that hunter from Tereen.’’

‘’I know what you are…’’, Yaju interrupted her, his gruff voice sounded slightly desperate. ‘’I even took up your bounty, but never found you. Your friends attacked Tereen.’’, he told her in a low voice, hoping that no one would notice them, even if they weirdly stood out in the middle of the market. The female now seemed surprised, as well as the male beside her.

‘’Friends?’’, she whispered to herself and the following second her eyes widened, as if making a realization. The female’s expression suddenly broke and she laughed wholeheartedly, making Yaju narrow his eyes, bringing closer to the edge.

‘’Those idiots are not friends of mine.’’, she commented and lifted a brow. ‘’I take it you fled Tereen then?’’, she added caustically and crossed her hands in front of her chest. Yaju lifted his chin, feeling more than offended.

‘’I slaughtered them all.’’, he replied and now the demon was the one who widened her eyes, yet her expression showed no fear or anger, she looked completely livid. Another laughter rang in Yaju’s ears and this time it made him shiver. His eyes were fixated on the demon and he was unable to draw a sword.

‘’Good for you then, hunter.’’, she replied and motioned with her head to her partner, both of them proceeding to walk pass Yaju. He was unable to speak or move, considering whether he should fight, follow, or mentioned the demon’s existence to the group. ‘’Those fuckers deserved it after all.’’ The woman whispered near his ear. He was taken by surprise by her words and his grey eyes darted to her beside him. ‘’I’d suggest you don’t attempt to collect my bounty, hunter.’’, her smile was vicious as she mouthed her words, a hand landing on the male’s shoulder. Despite the fact that she naturally was way smaller than the hunter, that hand felt as heavy as a mountain on his shoulder. Sweat gathered on his forehead. ‘’I am nothing like those idiots.’’